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SDG 11 · Sustainable Cities and Communities

1.16 billion people live in slums and informal settlements.

Eco Heroes turns that fact into a story an 8-year-old can hold onto: The Dog that Said Woof, book 11 of 17 in the SDG Library.

The target, in plain language

What the UN actually promised

Target 11.1

By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

Upgrading slums means bringing water, sanitation, safe building and secure homes to the neighbourhoods where people already live.

Target 11.2 asks for safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport for all. By 2025, 61.5 per cent of city dwellers had convenient access to public transport, up from 53.2 per cent in 2020.

Why it matters

The number behind the story

1.16bn
people live in slums or informal settlements About a quarter of everyone living in cities (24.8 per cent in 2024).

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, UN DESA. Figures as published in July 2026.

The story

The Dog that Said Woof

The Dog that Said Woof, SDG 11 book cover

The Dog that Said Woof

Written by David Fernández Sifres (Premio Barco de Vapor) · Illustrated by Cecilia Varela

Book 11 of 17 in the Eco Heroes SDG Library, one illustrated story for each UN Sustainable Development Goal. Unlocked with any Eco Heroes plan (families from €79 a year), and every plan starts with a free month. Published in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan.

Bring it into the room

Talk about it, try it

Discuss

One question to ask after reading

“What makes a street feel safe and friendly to you? And what makes it feel unsafe?”

Try it: 15 minutes

Redesign your block

Draw a map of the street around your school and add three changes that would make it better for children, older people and animals. Compare maps: which ideas show up more than once?

Seventeen goals, seventeen stories

Every SDG gets its own illustrated book, its own facts and its own activities. SDG 1 is always free. The rest unlock with a family, school or hotel plan.

See plans →